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'Something Lovely's Starting': SLS South Beach Will Finally Open in April 2012

Where: 1701 Collins Avenue [map], Miami Beach, FL, United States, 33139

It's finally official--the long awaited SLS South Beach will open in April 2012! This will mark the second SLS Hotel to open after the flagship one in Los Angeles and hotelier Sam Nazarian is pulling out all the stops, combining pretty much all of his restaurant and nightclub hotspots under one roof.

First off, the hotel will feature room designs from SLS hotel designer Philippe Starck. While we only have that above rendering to go on, the rooms still retain the airy and effervescent quality of the SLS in LA but this looks a little, how do we say this?--cozier?

There are no "floating" glass beds and cramped low ceilings, although there will be oversized chaise lounges and the beds do look as if they are levitating ever so slightly. Starck is also doing something a little unusual behind the bed with curtains that feature a painted-on bedroom scheme. Same goes for the "armoire" that "holds" the TV opposite the bed (we saw this in another smaller rendering.) Oh and don't forget to look up, because there's a mirror on the ceiling!

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Hotel High Tea / Los Angeles Hotels / SLS Hotels / Jose Andres / Philippe Starck / → All Tags

José Andrés Deconstructs Tea Time at The SLS Hotel

Where: 465 S La Cienega Blvd [map], Los Angeles, CA, United States, 90048

One of the things we were always torn about with the SLS Hotel in Los Angeles is that only guests were allowed inside the lobby area. All other visitors were directed through to a separate entrance--where the award-winning Bazaar Restaurant from José Andrés is located.

While we liked that the SLS offered guests privacy in the lobby area, we were also a bit hurt because the lobby is not just a check-in spot with a couple of couches and tables but a place where guests could dine and drink amongst the interior design of Philippe Starck. It looks and feels unlike most hotel lobbies, more like a swank private club than a hotel lobby.

So we were doubly excited when we found out that SLS not only opened up the lobby to all visitors but that Andrés has curated a special afternoon tea time in this space called, Tres by José Andrés.

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The Bazaar at SLS Gets Bizarre Four-Star Review

Where: 465 S. La Cienega Blvd [map], Los Angeles, CA, United States, 90048

The L.A. Times' recent review of José Andrés’s Bazaar at the SLS Hotel Beverly Hills gave it a rare four-star rating which has had the LA foodie community buzzing since last week.

The Times’s chief restaurant critic, S. Irene Virbila, is known to be hard to please, and she subjects each restaurant she reviews to a thorough vetting process--at Bazaar alone she clocked up four dinners! But it looks like she might have a little food crush on Andrés, who trained with the famous Ferran Adrià of El Bulli, exulting in his ability to transform “small plates into delicious theater.”

She goes on to gush that dining at the Bazaar is “Fellini-esque, a gastronomical circus, a flirtation with the flavors and soul of Spain.”

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Sneak Peek / Inside SLS / Hotel Restaurants / Hotel Openings / Los Angeles Hotels / Jose Andres / Top Chef / Sam Nazarian / → All Tags

Inside The Bazaar at SLS Hotel

Where: 465 S. La Cienega Boulevard [map], Los Angeles, CA, United States, 90048

This is the second part of a three-part series on the SLS Hotel.

Now that we've taken you through the lobby and check-in and up to your room, it's time to explore The Bazaar at SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills and helmed by chef Jose Andres.

Much like the guest rooms inside the hotel, The Bazaar changes all your preconceived notions about a hotel restaurant. For starters, it's actually three restaurants. There's Bar Centro, Pâtisserie, and Rojo y Blanco. In addition, there is a Moss custom-curated retail area where guests can purchase eclectic pieces which are all on display in free-standing glass vitrines.

Walking through the Bazaar is no easy feat. Not because you can't make your way past stuff but because you can't make your way past all the stuff without stopping to stare and look at it. Like the dark-humored mobile that hangs from the ceiling of a hideaway nook and features plastic guns. Or the wall of shelves with dozen of photographs of the back of people's heads. And like the rest of the hotel, the furniture is Starck-inspired (remember this man loves chairs) and almost every piece, whether it's a lamp, chair, ottoman or vase, is different from the next.

In short, Bazaar is quite bizarre.

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SLS Hotels / SBE Group / Philippe Starck / Jose Andres / Hotel Restaurants / Hotel News / → All Tags

SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills To Get Fancy Jose Andres Restaurant

Where: 465 S. La Cienaga Boulevard [map], Los Angeles, ca, United States, 90048

The former Le Meridien Beverly Hills hotel shuttered down a few months ago to make way for a new hotel chain from nightclub king Sam Nazarian and his SBE group, called SLS Hotels. (Alphabet soup much?)

We still aren't sure what to expect from this new hotel except Philippe Starck's soul and possibly some drunken goblet-holding monkeys. However, as with all new hotels a fancy schmancy hotel restaurant is a must.

Eater LA reports:

SBE tapped Jose Andres to run all the food and bev for their first LA hotel (the former Le Meredien), including a restaurant, lounge and catering. Andres worked with Ferran Adria in Spain, and his ThinkFoodGroup operates Jaleo, Oyamel, Zaytinya and Café Atlántico in Washington D.C. The hotel and restaurants will probably debut in June '08.

Meanwhile, we drove by the hotel building just yesterday and absolutely no new work has been done on the building. We're not saying that June 2008 isn't do-able but well, we've been burned by hotel hype lots of times before.

Related Stories:
· Skinny Monkeys With Goblets = New Paradigm In Luxury [HotelChatter]
· SBE Future: Foxtail, Jose Andres, More Katsuyas [Eater LA]
· SLS Hotels [Official Site]